Large deployable structures constituted of rigid frames or panels are increasingly present on all satellites. Missions are increasingly “greedy” for energy because they carry increasingly powerful payloads. This imposes increasingly large solar generators and antennas. Of these structures, there may be cited solar generators for supplying the spacecraft with electrical energy, faceted antenna reflectors for reflecting radio-frequency (RF) waves, faceted optical reflectors such as mirrors, solar or thermal shields aiming to protect certain sensitive instruments (for example optical instruments). These structures may or may not be equipped with extender arms as a function of the requirement to position the active element of the structure relative to the satellite for the mission. In practice, the dimensions of these structures are limited by the volume available under the nose cone of the launch vehicle for placing the satellite in orbit. Of course, such structures cannot be placed in their operational configuration under the nose cone of the launch vehicle. Consequently, it must be possible to fold a large structure on itself into a stowed configuration for launch, so as to have the lowest possible volume, and to be able to assume a deployed configuration in the operational phase, in which its dimensions are greater. In this deployed configuration, in order to make possible control of the spacecraft, it is generally required that the large structure be as rigid and as stable as possible once deployed. Furthermore, this type of structure is intended to accomplish certain specific functions linked to the mission. For a solar generator, the active face must typically be equipped with solar cells. For thermal and solar shields, the active surface must be as homogeneous in terms of temperature as possible to protect and facilitate thermal regulation of instruments positioned in the area facing the sun. In the case of antennas, the active surface must be free of any metal surface or appendages in order to have optimum RF performance. In all cases, the aim is to minimize the presence of mechanical elements on the active face.